Inauspicious Beginnings
by Settiai
Summary: Ostagar wasn't what she had been expecting. :: Sequel to "Out of the Darkness."


Ostagar wasn't what she had been expecting.

Admittedly, Natia didn't know exactly what it was that she _had_ been expecting, but she knew that it wasn't… this. Humans everywhere, even the shortest of them still towering over her at least somewhat. Even the dogs made her feel small. For the first time since she had left Orzammar, since that first day on the surface where everything had felt so completely foreign, she felt truly and completely out of place.

And the worst part was that she knew damn well that it was her own fault.

She'd gotten complacent. She'd let herself get used to the small caravan that she and Duncan had spent the past several weeks traveling with, a handful of humans and elves and even a few other dwarves. It was her own fault that she'd been caught so by surprise by the sheer presence of so many humans around her.

Natia sighed, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. The skin there was red and peeling again, still not used to the harsh light of the sun. The lotion that she used daily helped, at least a little, but it wasn't enough to completely protect her. Not yet, at least. It was impossible for skin that hadn't seen sunlight in over seventeen years to become completely used to it in less than a month, and she knew it. Not that it made the process any less irritating.

Someone shoved past her, sending her stumbling. Only years of practice kept her from completely losing her balance. The human didn't even glance her way, as if she was beneath his notice.

"Some things never change," Natia muttered under her breath, glaring at the man's quickly disappearing back.

A part of her had thought that being a Grey Warden would make a difference. That maybe she'd finally be more than just another duster, taking up space until someone with more to prove put an end to her. The hour or two she'd spent wandering the human camp had proven that to be nothing more than wishful thinking, though. Yes, a few people had looked at her with something like respect in their eyes, but overall? She was just as invisible as she'd been back in Orzammar, just in a different way.

Still, it could be worse. She could be dead.

Shaking her head, Natia frowned and looked around again. Duncan had been pulled away almost the moment they arrived, with barely enough time to give her a brief description of the Warden named Alistair she was supposed to find. It was starting to get late, the sun sinking low in the distance, and she was well aware that she needed to find this Alistair person soon. It had been a long, grueling day of travel, and Duncan had made it quite clear that whatever tasks were involved in actually becoming a Grey Warden would start at first light.

Which meant, if she wanted to actually get some rest, she needed to find out where she was supposed to be staying. And she couldn't do that until she actually found the man she was looking for. It was like trying to find a healthy nug in Dust Town.

It felt as if she'd been wandering the camp for days instead of hours, talking with people and generally doing her best to play nice. Someone had finally been able to give her an idea as to where to find the Warden she was looking for just a few minutes earlier, but she was so completely turned around by that point that it hadn't been much help. She'd never truly felt _small_ back in Dust Town, not like she did here.

"Stone take this," she grumbled. She stomped over to a nearby crate and, ignoring the protesting mage standing nearby, climbed up on top of it. It didn't give her much of a boost, but it was enough to help her get her bearings.

Natia couldn't help but let her lips twitch with a tired smile when she caught sight of the building she'd been pointed toward. Maybe she'd be lucky and the man would actually be there, so that she could finally stop wandering around and feeling as if she was invisible.

* * *

Natia glanced up at the man walking beside her for a moment, studying him. His gaze was focused on something in the distance, and he wasn't paying any attention to her in the least bit. She couldn't help but take advantage of it and use it as an excuse to try to figure out a little bit more about him. The duster in her had learned a long time ago never to underestimate anyone, no matter how much of a fool they might appear at first glance.

Although, she had to admit, her initial impression of Warden Alistair was that he was _quite_ a fool. Not that she had much room to talk, considering how often her mouth ran away with her, but even she had a little bit of self-restraint. The human… didn't. Or, at least, not that she had seen.

"Is there a reason you keep staring at me?" Alistair asked suddenly, glancing down at her.

She didn't startle. It took every bit of effort she had, but she didn't. He wasn't quite as unobservant as he appeared; that was something to keep in mind in the future.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well?"

Natia batted her eyelashes at him, more out of habit than anything. Leske might have teased her about it, but there was a reason she was the one who talked their way out of trouble more often than not back in Orzammar. She'd always been good at using any and all abilities at her disposal.

"Do I need a reason?" she asked, giving him her best leer as she purposefully ran her eyes up and down the length of his body.

To her surprise and amusement, Alistair's face suddenly turned bright red. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something, then it snapped shut. "The tents are this way," he mumbled, quickly looking away from her and hurrying forward.

Natia blinked in surprise at the unexpected reaction. Then she realized that he was quickly disappearing from view, and she picked up her pace to try to keep up with him. The last thing she wanted was to get separated and have to try to find him again, after all the effort she'd put into it already. Especially since she seemed to have insulted him in some way, which would make it even more difficult to find him if he decided to avoid her.

"Good job, duster," she muttered, her quick walk hurriedly turning into something more like a sprint as she struggled to catch up with Alistair's long strides. "Tick off the man who's supposed to be helping you."

Not for the first time that day, Natia wished that Duncan could have stayed with her instead of being pulled away the moment they arrived. It was selfish of her. She knew that it was. He had been as steadfast as a rock beside her the past few weeks, though, helping her adjust to life on the surface as best she could. Was it really that much of a surprise that she had gotten somewhat attached to him?

Natia gave Alistair's back a wary look as he made a left up ahead, and she did her best to pick up her pace so that she didn't lose sight of him. Maybe if she was lucky, once everything was over with tomorrow, she wouldn't have to spend that much time with him. He'd said himself that he had been a Warden for less than six months, and he'd clearly been on his own before she'd met up with him. He hadn't been following anyone around.

A quick jolt of relief rushed through her at the thought. Once the Joining ceremony was over with, hopefully that would be that. She'd be able to focus on fighting darkspawn, not worrying over a human that she'd managed to upset less than a quarter hour after meeting him.

She took the left turn that she'd watched Alistair make at almost a full run. So when she turned the corner and found him standing there, not moving, she didn't have time to stop before she crashed into his armored legs. The only thing that kept her from going sprawling to the ground was his arm darting out to grab hers, holding her upright as she staggered.

"Maker's breath, I'm sorry," Alistair breathed out, his face tinged with pink. "I didn't mean to—that is, I realized that I was probably walking too fast, so I was trying to—are you alright?"

Natia blinked at him for a second or two, trying to parse his rather fragmented talking. Then, shaking her head, she gave him a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. "Luckily, I've been told on many occasions that I have an exceptionally hard head."

Alistair stared at her for a second, looking almost startled. Then he laughed, the corner of his mouth turning up so that it gave him a rather adorable lopsided smile. "Hard head or not, I'm sorry," he said, his voice serious despite the amused look on his face.

She hesitated, just for a moment, before shrugging again. "No harm done."

"Come on then," he said, gesturing at something in the general direction of 'somewhere in front of them.' "We're almost there."

Natia couldn't help but notice that his pace was slower, even more so than it had been when they'd first started out. It gave her the chance to walk beside him rather than hurrying to follow.

Almost as if she was an equal.


End file.
